Former Ripon professor pens biography about Al Jarreau, and more news in weekly dose

FOND DU LAC - Kurt Dietrich, professor emeritus of music at Ripon College, has written the recently released authorized biography of jazz/pop vocalist Al Jarreau, a native of Milwaukee.

“Never Givin’ Up: The Life and Music of Al Jarreau” has been published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Jarreau, who died in 2017, was a 1962 graduate of Ripon.

Dietrich will read from the book and discuss his research in a public presentation at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in Lane Library on the Ripon College campus.

According to a news release, Jarreau is the only person in history to win Grammy Awards in three different categories: jazz, pop and R&B. He recorded more than two dozen albums over three decades and was renowned for his ability to sing many styles. He acted on Broadway in the hit musical “Grease” and appeared on the television programs “New York Undercover” and “Touched by an Angel.”

Dietrich met Jarreau four times on Jarreau’s trips to Ripon College and Milwaukee. After Jarreau died, Dietrich realized a biography of the singer was needed as he was an important musical figure.

Remembering Al Jarreau: Al Jarreau, celebrated vocalist, Milwaukee native, dies at 76

“I want Al Jarreau’s fans to read this book,” Dietrich said in the release. “I think people reading this story will find that they can’t help really liking this guy and thinking he was a good human being.”

Dietrich taught at Ripon for 39 years where he directed the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble, taught brass instruments and a variety of courses. He also wrote “Wisconsin Riffs: Jazz Profiles from the Heartland.”

The Jarreau biography may be ordered online at shop.wisconsinhistory.org/never-givin-up or amazon.com.

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Welcome to your weekly dose. Here is more news from throughout Fond du Lac County.

Ripon Girl Scout earns $10K national scholarship

Mila Chetto, Ripon, was awarded a $10,000 national scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA for her Gold Award, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn. She is a member of the Manitou Council.

Chetto noticed an increase in negative student behaviors and a decline in literacy in the county and wanted to find a way to make a difference. Her idea was to install a book vending machine. Students earn tokens from teachers for positive behaviors and can then use those tokens to choose books from the machine to keep.

Chetto spent 91 hours to turn the idea into a reality. To earn money, she held reading events and book fairs, met with the school board, designed custom artwork and more.

Earlier this year, the vending machine was installed at Green Lake Elementary School. The machine will continue to be stocked through donations.

“Completing my Gold Award was a challenging but rewarding experience, especially when I started getting all of the positive feedback from the students benefiting from my project. When I found out I earned the scholarship, I was seriously speechless and couldn’t believe it,” Chetto said in a news release.

“I knew Girl Scouts was always going to be a big part of my life, but I never imagined it would change my life like this," she added. "It will help me achieve my dreams and I can’t express enough how excited and proud I am to have been chosen for this scholarship.”

Free performance of 'As You Like It' set for Aug. 31

Starling Shakespeare Company will offer a free performance of Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31 in Ripon College's Benstead Theatre, C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts.

The company, co-founded by Ripon alumna Jessie Lillis, class of 2013, held a summer rehearsal residency at Ripon College.

Lillis majored in communication with a minor in theater production at Ripon.

“Honestly, a lot of how and why I ended up where I am right now is because of Ripon,” Lillis said in a press release. “I always liked Shakespeare, but it wasn’t until I took Ann Pleiss Morris’ ‘Shakespeare in Pop Culture’ class that I really fell in love. Beyond that, Ann is the reason I found the MLitt/MFA program at Mary Baldwin (University), which played a huge part in preparing me to start a company.”

She earned her master’s degree from Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare and Performance program with a concentration in directing.

SSM Waupun hospital has positive patient experience rating

SSM Waupun Memorial Hospital has been named a CMS 5 star hospital. A list compiled by Becker’s shows the top hospitals for patient experience based on data from CMS, or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.

CMS shares 10 Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems star ratings based on publicly reported measures. Every hospital on the list received a five-star summary rating, which is an average of the ratings of the 10 specific HCAHPS measures, including nurse and physician communication, care transitions and cleanliness.

The star rating is based on survey data collected from hospital patients from October 2021 through September 2022.

Recovery community to gather: Fond du Lac recovery community to gather at Lakeside Park Pavilion for Stigma Awareness, and more news in weekly dose

Governor OKs improvements for Townline Road bridge

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers recently signed a $913,560 contract to improve the Townline Road bridge over Interstate 41 in the town of Friendship, Fond du Lac County. Construction of a new bridge deck begins Aug. 21 with a full closure of Townline Road.

Project improvements include full replacement of bridge deck with a new concrete deck and new parapet walls; replacement of roadway pavement approaches to the structure; grading to flatten side slopes; and replacement of guardrail on the bridge approach.

Townline Road will be from Melody Lane north of the bridge to County OO in the town of Eldorado. Vehicles will not be allowed to cross the overpass during construction. No detour will be posted for the local road closure.

I-41 will remain open but may be reduced to one lane in either direction during the project.

For more information, visit projects.511wi.gov/weeklyupdates-ne/.

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Ex Ripon professor writes biography about Al Jarreau, Milwaukee native